Farkhunda Zahra Naderi appointed as President Ghani’s senior adviser on UN Affairs

The former Afghan lawmaker and a prominent rights activist Farkhunda Zahra Naderi has been appointed as the senior adviser of President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on United Nations affairs.

According to a President Decree, Ms. Naderi’s appointment is approved for the post as President’s senior adviser for the United Nations Affairs in accordance with the Paragraph 13 and Article 64 of the Afghan constitution for the addition of this high level government position.

The former female lawmaker in the Lower House of the Parliament, Wolesi Jirga, continued to serve as a prominent women’s rights activist after her term ended as a member of the parliament.

Her appointment as the special presidential adviser in United Nations could play a key role in empowering the Afghan women who have suffered the most in decades of devastating civil war and insurgency, still being faced by the citizens of the country.

Some of her major contributions during and following her service as a prominent female parliamentarian and activist, include the tireless efforts to secure a prominent position for the women in the Supreme Court and a major campaign to align the responsibilities of the citizens of the country and the Afghan National Police, which plays a key role in strengthening the civil society.

As part of her campaign to strengthen the women’s role and secure their presence in Supreme Court, a historic move in the Afghan history, Ms Naderi, said “Our institutions are steeped in patriarchy. I can’t see how women will achieve their basic rights as long as the Supreme Court has not opened its doors to women. Women’s rights are imprisoned in that institution and it is men who define those rights.”

Ms Naderi further added “But I also represent and advocate for men’s rights. If men are being oppressed, I won’t just stand by and ignore it. But our statesmen do exactly this when it comes to women’s rights being violated: with respect to half the Afghan population, they keep silent. They do not see; or at least, they don’t want to see.”

Speaking in another major event earlier this year, Ms Naderi emphasized on the power of the Afghan women and said “I learned one thing in life that the most ordinary Afghan women are in fact the most extraordinary women and human of our land! They are like unseen and unknown treasure but they make mountains higher with pride: they are beautifully powerful!”

This comes as efforts are underway by the government of national unity to strengthen the role of the Afghan women in the governance with the Minister of Women’s Affairs Dilbar Nazari saying late last month the ministry is intending to introduce 10 women to Afghan Ulema Council.